And They All Lived Happily Ever After
by Windswift
Summary: [Spirit Tracks] Five times newly-certified royal engineer Link and recently-disembodied Princess Zelda were 110% competent and capable of saving the world, really, stop looking at them like that.
1. Link and Zelda and a sandwich

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda

I am also forever amused by Link who keeps going and going for days on end until he suddenly runs out of hearts, whereupon he immediately keels over.

And so begins a series of one-shots of "five times Link and Zelda were 110% competent and capable of saving the world and no times they weren't."

_**And They All Lived Happily Ever After**__  
The one with Link and Zelda and a sandwich_

Link hops down off the station platform and picks his way along the tracks back out of the Forest Temple, even though he's breaking Alfonzo's first rule of engineering. Alfonzo has a lot of first rules of engineering, but not fooling around by the rails is the one that makes him bellow the loudest. Even non-engineers have to follow that rule, or else.

Alfonzo isn't here.

Out here there's just Link, and Princess Zelda's ghost, and the Spirit Engine that's the only train left on the few rails Link's managed to restore. Link looks up at the sky that's turning dusky above the treetops, streaked with wisps of clouds pulled thin like foam on the waves and purple in the evening light.

By Link's estimation, it's still light enough yet that he and Princess Zelda can make it back to the Tower of Spirits and see Anjean before it gets too late. Then they can grab the next section of the rail map, and set out again, and then-Link glances up over his shoulder, where Princess Zelda is hovering, and flashes her a grin-then they'll have her body back before you know it.

Princess Zelda folds her hands together and smiles back at him.

"Hey, Link," she says, "are you hungry?"

Link pokes at the belt buckle of his borrowed recruit uniform while he ponders this. He hasn't really been thinking about food, but he guesses that if Princess Zelda wants to stop for something to eat on their way back to the Tower of Spirits, he doesn't mind doing the same. Although it's really weird, because Link figured that she wouldn't be hungry, being-well-without a stomach and all.

Princess Zelda rolls her eyes. She says, "I didn't say _I_ was hungry, I asked _you_."

She reaches down, until her gloved hand is probably pressed against his cheek but Link can't feel it. The motion tips her feet up so she's floating upside-down now. "Your face went all white a minute ago, did you know? You're as white as a-as-as _me_. And I don't think I've seen you eat anything at all since we left the castle, so I just thought that maybe-"

Oh. Princess Zelda's right, now that Link thinks about it. And now that he's thinking about it his face does feel kind of weird, and his head feels all funny too, and.

And he is blinking up at the clouds and the darkening sky through the pale pinkish haze that is Princess Zelda yelling at him.

"-and you fell right through my hands! Do you have any idea how weird and creepy that felt?! I've still got shivers going down my spine, ugh, it's _horrible_. If you ever do something like that again I'm going to have some words for you after we get my body back, and by words I mean my fists!"

The grass is itching the back of Link's neck, and the end of his hat is all scrunched up under his head so it kind of hurts to lie on. He stares at the fists Princess Zelda is brandishing in front of his nose until his eyes cross, and then he looks at her face instead. She glowers down at him, huffing to catch her nonexistent breath, a pallid flush in her cheeks.

Link cracks a grin, because he's fine and she doesn't need to worry, and he drags his left hand up to toss her a salute. Princess Zelda just _hmphs_ and spins herself into a little ball of light that bobs out of his field of view.

Half an hour later finds Link sitting on the wooden steps of Whittleton Station with a sandwich on his lap and a stack of postcards on the platform beside him.

Whittleton's General Store doesn't have regular postcards, only packs of the special prize ones. The General Store doesn't actually have sandwiches, either. But Link must've been looking pretty woozy again, even though he felt a lot better after lying half-sprawled across the tracks outside the Forest Temple for a while, because the guy in the shop offered Link a sandwich anyway, free of charge and everything.

Link thanked him, and bought the postcards to make up for it.

He takes a bite of the sandwich and brushes the crumbs off one of the postcards so he can scratch out the address already printed on it. Around his scratching-outs Link squeezes in _Niko, Link and Niko's House, Aboda Village, the Forest Realm, New Hyrule_.

"Let's head out to the Tower of Spirits in the morning after all," Princess Zelda says, perched on the railing beside him. "You worked really hard getting through all the traps in that temple and getting rid of that gross giant bug thing. So you probably want to sleep, right?"

Link shrugs-Princess Zelda usually just tells him to hurry up and stop getting distracted and that skull is icky why are you putting it in your bag ew Link-and looks up from squinting at his postcard. It's twilight now, the time that Niko is usually hauling Link inside for his bath before bed.

He munches on his sandwich and sweeps more breadcrumbs out of his lap. Link doesn't feel tired yet, and they could still make it to the Tower of Spirits, probably, if Princess Zelda wants to. He's a royal engineer and it's his job to take his passengers where they want to go, safe and sound and in a timely fashion.

Princess Zelda looks at her see-through hands for a long moment, and then she claps them together. She says, "You know, I realize now why Anjean asked me to accompany you. I can't put myself in danger or fight all those nasty monsters, of course, and you're really doing a wonderful job all on your own. But, Link, I think you really do need someone looking out for you and making sure you take care of yourself and remember to eat and get enough sleep. So I'll be happy to help you as best as I can!"

She smiles. She has a pretty smile, and Link smiles back.

But first, he plops his elbow on a corner of the postcard to hold it down, which is really handy because that also puts his sandwich right by his mouth. He eats while he writes in the white spaces:

_Niko,  
This is Link I'm writing you a postcard like you asked. I wasn't late for my graduation ceremony and Princess Zelda gave me my certificate and it was great except Chancellor Cole was creepy and also a demon. I got a new train to use and she's beautiful. There's not many tracks though but I am putting them back so I hope I will stop in Aboda soon.  
Love, Link  
P.S. Princess Zelda says write that I say hello for me._

"I wish I could send Teacher a letter and let him know that everything's going to be okay," she murmurs while Link is sticking Niko's postcard in the mailbox.

He lets the hatch shut with a bang. Link would write a letter to Teacher for her, except Teacher probably still wouldn't believe him and he'd just keep pacing around the castle and fretting. So Link's going back to the train, and he's going to grab the pillow and blanket out of the luggage compartment, and he's going to lay down on the seat and fall asleep straight away and not waste a single second, and in the morning he and Princess Zelda will be all bright-eyed and get to the next section of the rail map twice as fast as before.

She laughs, and her smile really is very pretty.


	2. Link and Zelda and the stamp book

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda

_**And They All Lived Happily Ever After**__  
The one with Link and Zelda and the stamp book_

"It's really nice of you to fill Niko's stamp book for him, Link," Princess Zelda says. Link sees her floating out of the corner of his eye as he lays the book on top of the stamp station, pale as a flurry of snowflakes on the wind or the white steam of his breath in the air.

Link doesn't think she'd like to be mistaken for either of those things. The princess is kind of touchy about being a ghost and all.

So Link just shrugs and flips the stamp book to a blank page. He grabs the stamp, holds it level, and thumps it firmly straight down on the paper so it won't smudge. The first page for Aboda Village's stamp is kind of a learning curve of smeared orange ink, but Link hopes Niko won't mind that one much. Link got a good stamp on the reverse page, in the end.

The stamp for Anouki Village stands out crisp and clear on the paper in blue, which is what Link's going to be turning if he stands out here in the snow much longer. It's colder than a plunge in the ocean here in Anouki.

"It seems more and more like we might end up traveling to every place there is to see in New Hyrule, at this rate," Princess Zelda says. "It's kind of nice, in a way, but I'd have liked the sightseeing more if I'd had a body to enjoy it in."

She frowns, wrapping her arms around herself and letting her shoulders round. "I was too busy trying to see the good in Chancellor Cole to see the evil in him. I shouldn't have listened to him so much. What kind of princess stays shut up in her room and hasn't even seen most of the kingdom where her subjects live?"

Link doesn't really know much about running a kingdom, so he shrugs again. He got to be a certified engineer without having to ride all the rails in New Hyrule, although, well, part of that was because of the Spirit Tracks vanishing in the first place. Link tucks his reddening fingers in his armpits and blows on the page of the stamp book to make sure the ink is dry.

He rushed it a bit in the Forest Temple, in all the excitement, and when he peeled the pages apart later he found a faded, patchy mirror image of the stamp on top of the Forest Sanctuary one. He's hoping Niko won't mind that either. He'll probably shake his head and chuckle and it'll remind him of Link, when Link is away from Aboda.

Princess Zelda pulls a transparent smile on her face and claps her hands together, brightening her voice to try to perk the rest of herself up. "You know, Link, I've got a great idea. You could make a stamp book for me as well! You'd have to buy a notebook for it the next time we come across a shop-I hope they'll have one-but I'd pay you back for it, of course, since you'd be doing a favor for me. And then, when I've got my body back, I can look at it and remember all the places in the kingdom we visited together. What do you say?"

Link could do that, but he thinks it's a silly idea so he doesn't think he will.

The smile drops off Princess Zelda's lips like a rock tossed into the ocean. In its place she makes that really scary face-the one that would be creepy if Link ever saw it on her in person, but that's twice as creepy here because of how she's a ghost.

He maybe shudders a little. But it might be because of all the cold and snow.

"_Why not_, Link. You'd only be doing what you're already doing for Niko. I'm not asking you to go to any extra trouble!"

Because-Link shuts Niko's stamp book and tucks it back in his bag-because when she's got her body back, and the Spirit Tracks are all restored, and Link's back to being a regular engineer instead of moonlighting as a recruit for the soldiers of the palace guard, then Link's going to take her on as a passenger in his train and personally conduct the princess to every station in her kingdom they visited together. And she can press the stamps in her book with her own flesh-and-blood hand.

Princess Zelda stops looking like she's going to curse all of Link's descendents for the next seven generations.

Actually her face kind of crumples up like she's about to start crying instead.

"Link, that's-do you really mean it?" Princess Zelda clasps her hands together, which is a thing she does a lot, Link's noticed, probably because her own hands are the only thing she _can_ clasp as a disembodied spirit. "Do you promise?"

Link grins and tosses her a brisk salute. He promises on his honor as an engineer, which is very honorable and also freezing its butt off, and he'd like to hurry back to the train and start thawing his hands near the boiler as soon as possible if Princess Zelda's ready to head out for the Snow Sanctuary too.

She laughs and spins herself into a little ball of light that disappears over his shoulder, and Link feels a little warmer already.


	3. Link and Zelda and the shield

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda

_**And They All Lived Happily Ever After**__  
The one with Link and Zelda and the Shield of Antiquity_

Standing on the path in front of his and Niko's house, Link slips the Shield of Antiquity over his arm and looks up for approval.

Princess Zelda scrunches her face up, one finger pressed against her cheek.

The shield must look _really_ terrible on him.

Princess Zelda raises her eyebrows and then waves her hands. "Oh, no, that's not it at all!" she says. "There's just something about it that makes me think-well, I can't quite put my finger on it, but-"

Link lowers the shield and tilts his head a little to the side while he waits.

Princess Zelda claps her hands together and starts again: "You look very dashing with that shield, Link. Just like a real hero! You know, I think you're really starting to pull off that recruit uniform after all. Well, shall we get going then?"

Link grins down at his boots, feeling warm and pleased, and slides the shield off his arm again. He doesn't strap it on his back, though-just holds it in his hands and gives it a good, long look.

He's going to give it back to Niko after all.

"Huh? Why?" Princess Zelda says. "Weren't you listening, I just said it looks great! Or don't you like it?"

He does like it. And it's not that Link's not very happy and grateful that Niko is thinking of him and wants to give him something and trusts him with his precious gift. Because Link _is_, and it means a lot of things to him that he can't really put into words. But Link's seen this battered old shield with the lobster motif hanging on Niko's wall for as long as he can remember, as long as Niko's been bringing him up, and-

And in recent times being an engineer is an awful risky gig in regards to property damage, Link is finding.

Captain Russel has seen Link drop by Hyrule Castle twice already to request new uniforms, after he's got something a bit worse than a spot of oil or engine grease or a snag from a bolt on them. And Link's old shield that Niko's hanging on to is actually a new replacement shield for the one that Like-like in the cave ate. And Link swears that as soon as he scrounges up enough treasure to buy the cars off Linebeck, Alfonzo's going to have a new wooden train to make up for the one Link accidentally wrecked after his graduation ceremony.

Link holds Niko's present in his hands and thinks that this is something he really doesn't want to lose.

Princess Zelda sighs and touches her fist to her chin. "Well... I suppose you do have a point. Alright, hurry up and switch your shield out with Niko, and then we really should head out to the Ocean Realm."

Link nods and turns to go back in the house when Princess Zelda drops her fist into her other palm. "Oh, I know what it is now! Of course!"

He doesn't know what it is, but now he's curious and he swivels back around.

"You know," Princess Zelda says, "the first time I saw you kneeling in the throne room I thought there was something funnily familiar about you. And at the time I couldn't think of what it might be, except maybe a moment of deja vu. But I see what it is now. All dressed up like that, carrying that shield-you look almost like you've stepped out of Niko's picture shows about the Hero of Winds!"

Link squints his eyes up and nods. He does sort of recall the picture shows Princess Zelda is talking about, the ones with the Hero in green bearing a shield that really _does_ look a lot like Niko's friend's shield now that he thinks about it. So that explains it.

Except for the part where when Link first met Princess Zelda to get his certification, he was wearing his engineering uniform and he didn't have a shield or sword or anything.

She narrows her eyes at him and folds her arms. "Well-it was on my mind, I suppose," she says, "because I'd snitched that green uniform and I was really hoping I could count on you to help me out. The castle guard adopted those uniforms to honor the Hero, you know."

Link didn't know. He looks down at himself, and he guesses the getup does look an awful lot like the Hero of Winds after all. Niko doesn't do those particular picture shows so much for him anymore; these days he's usually practicing _Spirits and Demons...at War!_ on Link to keep his storytelling skills sharp between his annual performances.

Link didn't realize Princess Zelda was such a big fan of Niko's picture shows.

"Why shouldn't I be?" she says. "Niko sailed here along with my ancestors when they came to found New Hyrule. A lot of his shows have to do with my family history. And that includes the stories about the Hero of Winds." Princess Zelda taps her finger to her cheek again. "I think you do look a little like him. I mean, he was certainly taller, and of course more heroic, although that's not to say that you aren't heroic, because you are. And I don't suppose that your faces are really that much alike... But you've got that same messy, fair hair from his old pictographs."

Link smooths his hair down, or at least what he can reach of it without knocking his cap off his head. Niko always calls Link's hair _unruly_, which makes it sound less like Link's fault.

Princess Zelda sighs. "I didn't mean-oh, go on and switch your shield if you're going to, who knows what Chancellor Cole is doing with my body while we're wasting time here! I bet you the Hero of Winds never wasted time like this when he was aiding Queen Tetra."

That's probably true, but Link's not that guy. But he is a train engineer with a passenger in his care, and he really does want to drop her off at the Castle Town Station safe and sound and in her own body as soon as possible. So Link shoos Princess Zelda to meet him at the train, he'll only be a minute, while he runs back in to talk to Niko again.


	4. Link and Zelda and Linebeck III

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda

_**And They All Lived Happily Ever After**__  
The one with Link and Zelda and Linebeck III_

Link folds his arms across Linebeck's counter, and then he pushes himself up with a grunt until he's leaning all his weight on his elbows and the toes of his boots are just brushing the floor. Linebeck keeps on polishing an elegant silver circlet he's squinting at, but he does throw a quick wink in Link's direction.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite little treasure hunter!" he says. "What goods have you got for me today, squirt?"

Link has to drop down from the counter to rummage around in his bag. When he hauls himself back up, though, he doesn't thunk anything delightfully expensive-sounding on the wood. Just a rasp of paper being slid towards Linebeck.

Paper usually means either treasure maps or bills, and neither of those are really Linebeck's _thing_. He frowns as he wraps the rag around his thumb and rubs at a delicate leaf, its veins marked in thin lines of tarnish.

Link hangs there on his counter, grinning and waiting.

Linebeck snorts and sets the rag and circlet aside. He picks up Link's-it is a business card, Linebeck decides generously. A business card cannibalized out of one of those gimmicky prize postcards, painstakingly folded and torn into quarters, and the blankest of these redesignated with the stylized dove motif associated with the Spirit Tracks.

"New Hyrule Royal Shipping Co.," he reads. "Link and Princess Zelda." Linebeck tosses the card back onto the counter. "Didn't know you got yourself a freight car now. Well, squirt, I haven't got anything for transporting at the moment. But you know, I like you, so I'll drop your name to my customers if I hear they've got a need."

Link looks at him for a moment, and then he levers himself a bit further over the edge of the counter so he can reach to tap the card. Link drums his fingertip by the logo, where the customary triangle shape between the dove's outstretched wings has been altered into a heart. He hasn't got a freight car yet, just a passenger car, but that's all he needs.

Because it's Shipping like _relationships_.

"Ah," Linebeck says. He picks up the circlet again. "How cute. Best of luck with that, squirt."

Link wants to know what kind of woman Linebeck wants to marry so they can go find his wife and bring her here to meet him. It might take him a couple tries but Link's pretty good at this.

Linebeck raises an eyebrow. "And why do you want me to get married off so badly?"

Because getting married makes people happy, and helping people feels good, and Linebeck is Link's friend so he'd like to see him hitched and happy too.

And because Princess Zelda says maybe if Linebeck had a girlfriend he'd be less of a pompous jerk.

Linebeck rolls his eyes and dabs a bit of polish on his rag. He knew they'd get around to this sooner or later, the moment he saw the name on the card.

Now, Linebeck will give him this-the kid's an excellent treasure hunter and a great source of revenue. Linebeck had his misgivings, but he personally examined Link's engineer certificate and, still a child and waiting for a growth spurt though Link may be, his certification is authentic, written in the hand of Princess Zelda of New Hyrule herself and complete with her royal seal. Heck, the bridge worker-of all people!-_raved_ about Link's skills handling his train.

But Link's convinced that his imaginary friend is _the_ Princess Zelda.

Linebeck rubs his thumb back and forth across the silver leaf, gently working the polish into the crevices. "What," he demands, "does _Princess Zelda_ not like about my charming personality?"

Link turns his head to the side for a moment while he considers it. Princess Zelda doesn't like it that Linebeck calls Link 'squirt' all the time, because she and Link are the same height.

Linebeck sighs. "Hey, if 'Princess Zelda' is a tiny little squirt like you that's not really my problem-"

Link startles and almost slips off the counter, the toes of his boots scuffing against the floor as he pushes himself back to his tiptoes and gapes at Linebeck. It's pretty hilarious how wide the kid's eyes are, and Linebeck smirks as he buffs away the polish to reveal clean, shiny silver. Now _that's_ a crown that'll bring him some serious rupees.

"-and I'm not looking to get hitched, thanks," he adds. Linebeck pushes his cleaning rag to the side and tugs at the brim of his hat a little. It's weird, he swears he can almost feel a faint draft coming from somewhere. Just what he needs, more repair work...

Link snatches up his business card and stuffs it at his bag, letting himself drop to his feet with a thump. It was really nice seeing Linebeck again, and he'll stop by with more treasures soon but right now Link wants to take the train out of here, yup, he's definitely ready to leave and be on his way and hurry back to the Tower of Spirits, c'mon let's go!

Linebeck leans one elbow on the counter and watches the kid scurry off, the door banging shut in his wake. "You, squirt," he mutters, "are one car short of a full train."


	5. Link and Zelda and also pots

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda

Fun fact: at the beginning of May I was getting myself excited to play Spirit Tracks, a game with Link driving trains and also companion!Zelda how could this not be brilliant, and among other things I opened up a document and entitled it "how I imagine Spirit Tracks will go down." It involved pots and also the assumption that Link and Zelda would probably bicker a fair amount while being friends, because they hadn't grown up as childhood friends in the game and so would need time to adjust to each other's quirks of personality, and also they looked young enough yet to still think boys/girls have dumb cooties.

I am pretty sure the game confirmed this as canon after that time I was really bad at drawing lines for Phantom!Zelda and she got pissed and started yelling "Ugh Link get out of my way!" and then promptly shoved him off the platform into a pit of lava.

Anyway this is based off of that, only with me having now played the game.

_**And They All Lived Happily Ever After**__  
The one with Link and Zelda and also pots_

According to Link the Wise One looks nearly as old as Niko, who's not quite as old as the Spirit Tracks, which are pretty much as old as dirt. And her house smells kind of funny. And he doesn't think she knows what she's talking about because Princess Zelda's not an evil spirit bringing him misfortune and bad luck.

So no matter what the Wise One says, Link's only toting that vase around in his train because he thinks Steem might really like it.

So Link just wants to be sure that Princess Zelda knows that it's really _definitely_ not that he's trying to get rid of her when he orders her to go to the opposite end of the train. He needs a lookout to guard their rear against pirates, is the thing, and he trusts Princess Zelda with the job.

There isn't anyone else on this train to trust the job _to_. But Zelda sits on the back of the freight car, and pulls her hair over her shoulder to try to keep it from whipping in her eyes, and counts the thought instead as she scans the ocean.

There's not much to see besides the rails zipping away behind them, and blue sky, and blue waves, and green-gold islands, and the pod of dolphins swimming alongside the tracks and chittering at the train. Usually Link leans an elbow on the edge of the cab and blows the whistle in reply, grinning when they leap from the water.

Today Link is too busy manning the cannon, and Zelda's pretty sure he's trigger-happy enough for two sets of eyes on watch even without her help. No one's going to get close enough to his train to even _think_ about touching his precious cargo.

Zelda is perfectly aware of the irony here.

She twists her hair in her hands. Her translucent, disembodied hands. Sitting back here all by herself is boring. Zelda's always loved the sea, and the salt-smell on the breeze, and riding the rails for hours and hours in the comfort and style of New Hyrule's trains.

But she's getting kind of sick of riding around in Link's train day in and day out.

Zelda isn't being entirely fair, she knows, but right now she doesn't feel like being fair. Right now she feels sulky and tired of going around and around doing things for other people instead of getting her own body back. Right now she's annoyed that Link never says no and he's always ready to do what anyone asks-even though she admires that about him, his kindness and eagerness, and she wants to be more like that herself.

Even though if he wasn't so willing to help near-strangers without a second thought, Zelda wouldn't be feeling this way in the first place because she'd be stuck dead in the water. She'd still be sitting in her room and twiddling her thumbs waiting for Chancellor Cole to make his move, because the Spirit Tracks would be gone and there'd be no more apprentice engineers coming to the castle to get certified that she could persuade to sneak her out.

It's just that, since getting her body back would serve the dual purpose of also saving the kingdom from demonic evil and destruction, she feels kind of justified in thinking this should be Link's only priority-not his job as an engineer.

Zelda needs something else to think about so that she doesn't think these things.

She still doesn't see any pirates.

Zelda sighs, a very long sigh that crumples her up and slouches her shoulders, and then she drifts to the front of the train. Link is leaning out the side of the engine, trying to watch everywhere at once. She smiles, and he grins back before his eyes flick to the horizon again.

"It really is a lovely vessel, Link," she says. She perches on the overhang of the cab, leaning her weight on one hand while she keeps an eye on the blind side of the train for him. "I'm sure Steem's going to be so grateful you found it. And I think it's sweet of you to transport it all the way to the Snow Sanctuary for him."

Link doesn't say anything, and Zelda's sure he'd be shrugging it off modestly if she turned to look.

"You know, it's kind of funny, don't you think? Here you are, keeping an eye out for pirates and making sure not to jostle that vase at any bends in the tracks-and usually you're the first one to smash any pottery you can get your hands on."

Link makes a listening noise and keeps staring out across the ocean. She tucks her hair behind her ear and out of her face.

"So," Zelda says, "what is it with your obsession with breaking pots anyway?"

Link's nose crinkles up. The way she says _obsession_ makes it sound weird.

It's not weird.

Besides, they've found a lot of useful things in the pots Link's broken. All kinds of stuff, like bombs and arrows and spare rupees and pieces of treasure, and he and Princess Zelda probably wouldn't be half this far already without them.

"Oh, I'm not saying that you haven't been a big help, because you _have_," she says, "and I really appreciate it. I just always wonder if you couldn't simply turn them over and dump the contents out, or pry up the lids to see what's inside. What if one of these times you crack the treasure or snap the arrows or something?"

That-

That's...

That's _blasphemy_, and it shows how much Princess Zelda knows about adventuring even though she's in the middle of one right now.

She rolls her eyes. "I've told you, I wasn't _always_ stuck in the castle like that. I've done plenty of exploring! I just don't think the answer is always to break things, that's all."

Princess Zelda twists around to give a very pointed look to the cannon that Link is currently aiming at a barrel bobbing in the waves. So that he can make sure his aim is sharp for any pirates that come along, _not_ just because he likes blasting things.

She sighs and says, "Boys and their toys."

And that is exactly why if Linebeck ever happens to sell him a Boys Only No Girls Allowed train car, Link's not going to make an exception for Princess Zelda.

"Well, I like that!" she says. She whips back around and crosses her arms, her chin in the air so she can't possibly see Link's stupid face. "You two go have a lot of fun saving the kingdom without me, then! I'm sure you won't mess up!"

Link leans against the side of the engine and doesn't look at her either, because he's the engineer and he's got to make sure nothing attacks the train.

The ocean's still pretty much empty of roving ships.

Link wouldn't really buy a Boys Only No Girls Allowed car-or, well, he wouldn't really tell Princess Zelda that No Girls Allowed means _her_. He's not sure how to say it, but Link would rather be here on this train fighting with Princess Zelda than anywhere else. He'd rather be tired and smarting and getting scuffed up by monsters and having her tell him that sometimes his plans are stupid (and having her sometimes be completely right to boot).

He'd rather have Princess Zelda worrying at his side at every step of getting her body back, than be sitting at home in Aboda, with Alfonzo's train and no Spirit Tracks, watching the sky go dark across the kingdom.

Link peeks up to see if she's looking at him or if she's still mad at him yet.

She's still turned away. Princess Zelda is almost floating off the top of the engine, one palm pressed flat on the train and the other arm pointing straight out to sea. "Oh! Link, I can see sails! Pirates, there's pirates at, um, 10 o'clock! Aim the cannon over there!" She twists around, wide-eyed and jabbing with her hand.

And then she grins at Link, clenching her fists in front of her chest. "I bet you can nail those creeps easy, two shots a piece! Blast them out of the water and show them what we're made of! Nothing's going to get through us, because together we're an unstoppable team!"

Link brings his hand up in a crisp salute, aye-aye Princess, and swings the cannon around with a matching wicked grin on his own face. Nothing's going to get through them, indeed.


End file.
